Dough-rounding-up machine.



F. H. VAN HOUTEN, JR-v DOUGH ROUNDING UP MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6, $914.

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Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

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II I IIIIIIllllllllllIllllllllllkllllli I llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIIIHIJIJHIH ammo o ami/Macaw TED %TATE% PATENT @FFTQE FRANK H. VAN HOUTEN', 31%., F FISI-IKILL-ON-TI-IE-HUDSON, NEW YORK. AS-SIGNOR TO DUTGI-IESS TOOL COMPANY, OF FISI-IKILL-ON-THE-HUDSON, NEW YORK, A CORPORA- TION OF NEW YORK.

DOUGH-ROUNDING-UP MACHINE.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14:, 1917.

Application filed June 6, 1914. Serial No. 843,490.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H. VAN Hou- TEN, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Fishkill-on-the-Hudson, in the county of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dough-Rounding-Up Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

The present invention relates to machinery for rounding up or molding lumps of dough preliminarily to baking the same in the production of loaves of bread, etc, the object of the invention being to provide a simple and practical form of machine having a very large capacity and with which the rounding up operation will be effected in connection with the formation of a proper skin-like surface on the lumps of dough, which is so necessary in the modern baking art. A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus in which the dough engaging or working surfaces are moved at different rates of speed relatively to one another to impart a uniform surface finish to the lumps of dough and to overcome any tendency of the dough to squeeze out of the confining chambers. A further object of the invention is to provide a machine with which automatic handling apparatus may be employed for the purpose of feeding the lumps of dough thereto and removing the same therefrom, without danger of the lumps coming together and coalescing into larger lumps or portions than those desired for each particular loaf.

In carrying the invention into practice, provision is made whereby the measured portions of dough are subjected throughout their entire surface area to the drawing and stretching action effected by two surfaces with which the dough comes in contact, said surfaces having a relative movement in two directions with the result that the dough is more effectually st etched and smoothed, a d

of a rotary the danger of the dough dragging in between the surfaces is practically eliminated. Referring to the accompanying drawlugs,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the present improvements;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same; and

Fig. 3 is a detail section in a plane substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

The simple form of apparatus adopted for illustrating the invention embodies essentially a dough support which is in the form table A having its dough supporting surface extended in the plane of rotation. This table is conveniently mounted on a vertical axis formed by a fixed shaft B which may be an upward extension of a base frame H. Rotary motion is imparted to the table by a bevel gear wheel D rigidly connected with the downwardly extending hub of the table and a pinion O mounted on the inner end of a drive shaft E journaled in suitable bearings on the fixed frame and adapted to be driven by a belt and pulley wheel G from any suitable source of power.

The top horizontal surface of the table constitutes the dough supporting surface upon which the dough rests during the rounding up and surface stretching operation, and during this operation, the dough is loosely confined in a chamber mounted in a suitable frame above the table, and having a rotary motion imparted thereto which will cause the dough to be turned in a horizontal direction simultaneously with its turning movement in a vertical direction, due to the relative movement of the supporting surface and chamber.

In the preferred arrangement the chamber for confining the dough is in ,the form of a ring and to increase the capacity of the machine a number of such rings may be conveniently mounted in an overhanging frame I rigidly mounted on the upper end of the shaft B. As will be seen from Fig. 2, the machine illustrated embodies four of these chambers or rings indic ted. at J J a d K,

face of the table, as shown clearly in Fig. 3,

and rotary motion preferably at a higher in rate of speed than that of the table, 18 1mparted to them by suitable gearing whichin its simplest form consists of a gear ring L of relatively large dlameter, as compared with the diameter of the rmgs or chambers,

to mesh with gear teeth 7' and 70, respectively, at the bottom of the chambers or rings J and K.

. The gear ring L may mesh with the teeth 20 of the center rings K and the latter inturn mesh with the teeth of the end rings J. Thus theend rings will be rotated in an opposite direction from the directionof rotation ofthe intermediate rings, this arrangement being desirable inasmuch as it permits the chambers or rings to be arrangedin a 1 straight line which is the most convenient arrangement for the reception of lumps of dough fed thereto by automatic handling machinery.

The table A is provided with an opening M extending through the same, said opening beingof such dimensions as to pass under the doughqchambers or rings in succession, and during such passage to permit of the downwardescape or discharge of the lumps of.dough therefrom. In other words, during the passageof the opening M beneath the chambers the latter are bottomless and lumps of dough Will drop freely down onto any suitable conveying mechanism, whereby they may be carried ofi for further treatment.

With the arrangement described motion is simultaneously imparted to boththe dough supporting surface and to the confining chambers, and' as a result the dough is carried against the Wall ofthe confining chambers by the movement of the table and the movement of' the table imparts a tendency to the lumps of dough to rotatein a vertical plane. The simultaneous rotation of the chambers on their individual axesimparts a tendency to=the dough to rotate in a hori- .zontalplane, with the result that-there is a constant stretching action on thesurface of I thelumpswh-ich produces a surface condition Whichis believed to excel thatproduced by any other machine designed for rounding up and molding the.lumps preparatory to baking. It will also be nctechqin thearrangement described, that the confining rings or chambers are rotated at a'higher rate of speed than the table, thus overcoming any tendency of the supportingtable to-drag or secured to the top of the table A and adapted pull the bottom portions of the lumps of dough out under the bottoms of the confining chambers.

Obviously the particular form of mechanismillustrated may be considerably varied without departing from the present invention, and the number of confining chambers or rings may be made greater or less. in accordance With the desired capacity, but it is preferred that the relative ,movement of the supporting surface and confining chambers shall be attained by a movement of the table, inasmuch as this construction. permits the lumpsof dough to be fed to and from the chambers: at fixed and definite points and eliminates any liability of a lump being fed at a time When no ch-amber is presentto receive it.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

f 1. In a dough rounding upmachine, a dough support having adough supporting surface extended in a single plane, a plu- V rality of chambers in Whichlumps of dough are looselyconfined on-the support, each of said chambers bein mounted to rotate on an axis atl'right ang esito the-plane of the support, and means for simultaneously ro-- tating the chambers on theiraxes-and for effecting a relative movementwf-the support. and chambers inzthe plane of the said dough supporting surface.

2; In a dough rounding upmachine, a rotary dough support havinga dough-supporting surface extending in a substantially horizontal plane, a plurality of rotary chambers in which the lumps of dough are loosely confined on thesupporting surface of the table, fixed bearings in which said chambers are journaled to rotate on substantially fixed vertical-axes, passing substantially through the centersbf the respectiverchambers, and cooperating gearing between" theseveral chambers and dough support for isimultaneouslyrotating said chambers and support at different ratesof speeds relatively to one another.

3. In a dough-rounding up machine, a rotary table mounted to rotateon a vertical axis and having a horizontal dough supporting surface, a stationary support over said table, a plurality-of-irotary chambers journaled in said support-said chambers being mounted to rotate onfixed vertical axes: at substantially their centers, and: cooperating gearing intermediate said 7 chambersvand i table for simultaneously rotating said chambers and table on their individual axes, said gearing being adaptedto rotate said chambers at a rate of speed in-eXcess of the speed of rotation-of the table.

. 4. In a dough rounding up machine, the

combination;- with the, horizontal rotary table, a -fixed support'over saidtable, arotary chamber journaled in said support in axes, said gearing being adapted to rotate proximity to the table for loosely confining said chamber at a speed of rotation in excess a lump of dough thereon, and rotatable on a of the speed of rotation of the table.

fixed axis substantially at its center, and co- FRANK H. VAN HOUTEN, JR.

' operating gearing intermediate said table Witnesses:

and chamber for rotating said table and J. E. VAN HoU'rEN, chamber simultaneously on their individual WILLIAM T. STRIPPEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of IPatents, Washington, D. G. 

